Current Event Assignment Rubric Examples

Purpose: In order to more successfully contribute to our community and society at large, you must be current on the world’s issues, updates, and changes. Being an informed citizen and discussing current events will give you a better perspective on different points of view. This will also give you opportunities to read material in multiple genres and in multiple contexts.

Article Guidelines:

Article must be current - within approximately one month of due date.

Article must be relevant - it must pertain to the essential question we are discussing.

Article must be from an appropriate source - NOT Wikipedia (see suggestions).

Article must have an appropriate subject matter - articles with excessive violence or inappropriate subject matter will not be accepted and receive a grade of zero (0).

Directions: Every week you will read a current events article and turn it in with a typed response. The news source may be digital or print. All assignments are due on the dates given. If you have an “excused” absence on a due date, your assignment is due the next class period.

Specific Directions: Choose an article that pertains to the essential question we have been discussing. You need to read the article. It is HIGHLY suggested that you mark the text or take notes as you read. You will need to complete a written, typed response. The written, typed response should include the following:

I. Title and Date of Article – Write the title of the article and the date it was published, centered at the top of the page.

II. Summary – Summarize the main idea of the article. This should be a minimum of 8 sentences.

III. Connection to Essential Question – State the essential question. Then, write how this article ties to the essential question we have been discussing. It should also include evidence from the text that supports this. This should be a minimum of 8 sentences.

IV. Literary Strategy – Write down the specific literary strategy for the week and discuss how this pertains to the article. For example, if the strategy is author’s purpose, explain what the author’s purpose of the article is and text clues that helped you figure it out. This should be a minimum of 8 sentences.

V. Personal Response - Write your response to what you read. Did it evoke an emotion? What were your thoughts after reading the article? Explain and give examples. There is no minimum number of sentences.

VI. APA Citation – This must be in the correct format. You can use www.noodletools.com.